Plein air watercolor painting of a palm tree in a nature preserve in Florida.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches $100

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I visited a nature preserve near Naples, Florida in hopes of doing a large watercolor landscape of the area. I quickly became totally overwhelmed by the immenseness of the acreage and settled on doing a watercolor painting of a single distressed palm. I wanted to capture some of the fading brown leaves next to the vibrant new growth.

Plein air watercolor landscape of a southern Florida canal.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 6 inches $100

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While we were in Florida last December, we drove by this picturesque canal right off a busy highway. The next day, when John was golfing, I returned to capture it in a  watercolor painting. The palm trees made a perfect frame for the bridge and slow flowing water.

Plein air watercolor painting of colorful sailboats on the beach

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

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I saw these colorful sailboats on the beach every day and finally one morning, I braved the sand and wind to do several  watercolor paintings of them. The vibrant primary colors really shimmered in the bright sunshine.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a water fountain on Marco Island, Florida

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

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We are going to be taking a southern vacation soon so I thought I would post some of the watercolor paintings I did on my last trip to Florida. We stayed in a beautiful condo on Marco Island and the weather was wonderful. You would think that I would be in painting heaven. But I find it very difficult to warm up to the colors and atmosphere of tropical locales. I must be too entrenched in the Michigan’s moody woods and rolling hills to fully appreciate doing watercolor landscapes in Florida. It always takes me a good few days to readjust my pallet.

This painting was done from my favorite position. In a lounge chair at the pool with a glass of wine!

Plein air watercolor painting of an old farm from across the spring fields.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

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This watercolor painting was done just outside Petoskey on a huge hill that overlooks the town and Lake Michigan. Its an area I return to year after year. It has dramatic rural views, something I love to capture in plein air watercolor landscapes. This particular scene  created a “Z” composition.

Plein air watercolor painting of a lion statue guarding steps in Petoskey, Michigan.

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 9 inches 100

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Every May we travel “up north” for a few days. I paint, while the guys golf. Then we eat marvelous food and start all over the next day. I painted this watercolor painting one sunny day in Petoskey. The spunky little lion statue looked like it was guarding the modest mansion behind it. I was attracted to the light and shadow and the way the stairs formed a natural lead in to the center of interest.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a palm tree and balcony in Spain

Watercolor painting 6 inches x 7.5 inches $80

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When my family visited Spain a while ago, I didn’t have much time to paint. There were just too many wonderful cities and restaurants to visit! But I did fit in a few watercolor landscapes while hanging around the pool after long days of sight seeing.

Pastel portrait painting of a man in profile

Pastel painting 11 inches x17 inches   $300

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We had a great pastel figure drawing session this afternoon. Our scheduled model didn’t show, but we were very lucky that Jack lives nearby and could run over to help us out.  We’ve all drawn him many times and you think we’d pine for someone new. But Jack is a great model and has such an interesting face. The more we paint his portrait, the better we are able to capture his unique look.

This pastel painting is one of my favorite portraits ever. I think I caught Jack’s likeness but I also like the painterly effect I was able to achieve.

Jack told me his friends all over the country check out my blog to see his portraits. Hi all!

Pastel Portrait of a man resting on a couch.

Pastel painting 9 inches x 5 inches     $80

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Felt bad that I had to miss my figure drawing class today so I thought I’d post a recent pastel painting that I did of my husband. I’ve captured him in his usual pose: watching TV from the couch. None of my family will pose for me anymore so I have to catch them when they are doing something else. I have hundreds of sketches of John in this position. I always joke that if I ever get famous, when I die the curators will look through my past work, and marvel at this reoccurring model. “This figure seems to have a deep and profound meaning in her work. Obviously he is a muse who she felt the need to recapture over and over in her paintings.” HA! Although he is immensely important to me, he also is the only free model who will stay still long enough!

Thanks for putting up with me, sweetie!

Pastel landscape painting of a winter river through the trees.

Pastel painting 10 inches x 10 inches     $450

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I’m continuing on with my winter river obsession in my current pastel paintings. Last weekend, John and I traveled west and south of Saline, shooting good research photos that I could work from back in the studio. We stopped at every little stream and creek and now I am flush with new ideas!

I am working on putting together a series pastel landscapes which all have Michigan rivers, streams and lakes as their subject. Hopefully later next year, I will mount a solo show of these artworks. Stay tuned!

Watercolor painting of people waiting at the cheese counter at Zingerman's Deli.

Watercolor painting 9 inches x 11 inches $300

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Here in Ann Arbor, we are soooo lucky to have one of the best delicatessens in the world. Zingerman’s is a true food bonanza! They carry the finest cheeses, meats, olive oils, breads and make unbelievable sandwiches. My husband adores the store and spends way more than he should there, buying mouth watering treats every week. I shot a reference photo of him parked at his favorite location: right in front of the cheese and meat counter.

It was a challenge to do a watercolor painting of this scene which is crowded with so many items, especially on yuppo paper. I cropped in tight and left out a lot of extraneous detail so I could focus on the dynamic composition and the light emanating from the food cases.

Plein air watercolor landscape painting of a road and fields on a Montana ranch.

Watercolor painting 15 inches x 5.5 inches $200

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I painted this plein air watercolor landscape when I was out west visiting my sister. She worked as a marketing director on the coolest ranch in southwest Montana. They raised and trained high-end quarter horses for sale. The ranch was stunningly beautiful and I painted alot out there for a few summers. You can see some of my other paintings from that time here.

But Beth has moved on and started a new business. She and our other sister, Lynn, now create and sell beautiful personalized jewelry in platinum, gold, silver and other metals. If you are in the market for a truly special piece of fine jewelry, checkout Sorella Jewelry Studio.